1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention is directed to plumbing systems and to such systems with a concrete slab.
2. Description of Related Art
The prior art discloses a wide variety of plumbing systems in combination with concrete slabs. Typically a plumbing pipe system is put in place within a predetermined area for a concrete slab. In various systems, several pipes project upwardly past what will be the top surface of the slab. In many instances, it is difficult, if not impossible, to adequately trowel and smooth the concrete around the pipes. Often the pipes are close to the location of walls, commodes, and other structural members that require a substantially flat top slab surface. Often a projecting part of a pipe is moved during a pour and, following setting of the concrete, is not at a desired location. This may require jackhammering of the concrete around the pipe so it can be moved back to the proper location.
The prior art discloses various plumbing fixtures, pipe couplers, and slab/plumbing systems. U.S. Pat. No. 4,261,598 discloses a pipe coupling to be embedded in a concrete floor and to form part of a fluid flow path with the pipe that has a tube, preferably integrally molded of plastic, with an inside annular rim coupling with parallel shoulders perpendicular to a longitudinal cylindrical axis of the tube, with an annular face parallel to the axis between the shoulders, an attachment means, preferably an annular flange with tabs for nails or the like, at one end of the tube to be secured to a form such as a wooded form for pouring the concrete floor around the pipe and coupling and a removable cover at the end of the tube adjacent the attachment means and adapted to prevent poured cement from entering the inside of the tube. The coupling is mounted on a form and the concrete flooring is poured around it. The coupling is adapted for supporting a toilet bowl mounting flange in residential and commercial construction and for mounting plastic piping between multiple levels of concrete floors usually in commercial construction.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,354 discloses a device to be permanently embedded in the masonry floor of a building structure for both supporting and joining pipe sections extending above and below the floor. The device has an anchor surrounded by the masonry material to prevent movement relative to the floor. The ends of the device are of several different designs to permit the joining thereto of pipe ends by various methods.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,490,954 discloses a masking cover for a wall surface around a pipe, the cover with two circular concentric plates each provided with a radial slot with parallel edges connected together by a semicircular portion having its center coinciding with that of the plates, the plates arranged for mounting by way of their slot around the pipe in order to form a single stable facing in the form of a circular masking cover.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,087 discloses a support apparatus and method for attaching fluid-conveying pipe couplings of various lengths to be embedded in concrete barriers of various thicknesses to a metal concrete form involve a dual diameter outer disk attached to an elongated compressing column which extends through a hole in the concrete form to a fastening means in order to compress the fluid conveying pipe couplings in the fixed positions between the form and the outer disk. The fastening means can be attached to the compressing column at any longitudinal positions. An inner disk can also be put between the form wall and an inner end of the pipe coupling to provide extra rigidity. The disks act as forms to produce openings in the concrete barriers at opposite ends of the pipe couplings. Nothing extends beyond an outer, perimeter, surface of a forming portion of the outer disk. A preferred coupling assembly with which the support apparatus is used, and a method of using the same, involves a male/male, relatively short, insert having an O-ring seal and a tapered internal surface at only one end to form a sliding seal with a female/female pipe coupling portion embedded in the concrete barrier. A hand grip is formed on the outside surface of the insert.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,471 discloses a pipe coupling holder for holding a pipe coupling joint to be embedded in concrete and has a cylindrically-shaped barrel member having an inner wall to which the coupling joint is attached at a first end. The holder also includes a flange member, which is separate from the barrel member, but which has a hole of the size for snugly receiving a fixed-shaped outer wall of the barrel member to be selectively slidable along the barrel member and attachable thereto at any selected position. A second end portion of the barrel member can be cut away to accommodate a raised portion of a concrete form wall and the flange member can be slid along the outer surface of the barrel member to the top of the raised portion. The separate flange member is then adhered in this position to the outer wall of the barrel and fastened to the raised portion of the concrete form wall to hold a pipe coupling in a fixed position during the pouring of concrete in the form.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,170 discloses a coupling to be embedded in concrete which has multiple concentric rings on an outside wall of a tube which aid in preventing leakage along the outside wall and which help in providing fire retardancy. The coupling includes a step form having a regular diameter which aids in positioning the coupling using a template.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,823,527 discloses a plumbing concrete form accessory with a relatively large hollow displacement member having a hole in a wall thereof and defining a sleeve about the hole for snugly fitting the outside surface of a pipe. A dissolving type adhesive is used to adhere the sleeve adjacent a first end of the pipe and a second end of the pipe is mounted to a concrete form by means of a slidable flange which is also adhered to the outside surface of the pipe. A spacer cuff is mounted snugly about the outside surface of the pipe adjacent the second end thereof. The mounted pipe supports the hollow displacement member in the concrete form while concrete is poured about the pipe and the displacement member. In a preferred embodiment, a cover is used to cover an open side of the displacement member to allow selective access to the interior of the displacement member for coupling a fixture to the first end of the pipe once the concrete has hardened.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,882,886 discloses a pipe attachment device for attaching a pipe to a concrete form wall which includes an axially extending wall and a floor extending laterally from a first end of the axially extending wall. The floor is affixed to the concrete form and the pipe to be held in place on the form is pressed on the axially extending wall. The pipe is held thereon by the friction of a force fit. After concrete is poured into the form wall and allowed to cure, the pipe attachment device is removed with the concrete form wall while the pipe is allowed to stay embedded in the wall. A separate riser is adhered to the outer surface of a standard pipe to prevent it from sliding out of the concrete once the form is removed. A special pipe coupler can be used with a male pipe attachment device having a built in shoulder and riser. Intumescent cuffs can be used with either the standard pipe or the special pipe coupler.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,097 discloses a coupling adapted to be pressed into or secured in a hole in a concrete floor or wall which is secured in place by a concrete to plastic adhesive and can serve as part of the piping system of a building.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,309,688 discloses a penetration unit for a concrete slab including a hollow housing open at one end for receiving a service line or pipe, and provided at its other end with an enlarged opening surrounded by an annular flange which enables connection of the housing to formwork defining the boundary of the concrete slab. The housing defines a hollow space in which the service line or pipe terminates and may be connected to a further line or pipe such as an elbow. A puddle flange may be located about the service line or pipe and engage the housing. Intumescent material may be located in the hollow space surrounding the pipe or line.
There has long been a need for: an efficient effective system and method for: locating and installing pipes for a plumbing system in an area in which a concrete slab is to be poured; for such a system and method in which pipes do not need to be relocated following setting of the slab; for such a system that does not obstruct the placement, levelling, and finishing of a poured concrete slab; for such a system which allows adjustment of pipe location after a slab has hardened without damage to the slab; and for such a system that increases slab quality around projected plumbing pipe locations while reducing the labor cost of the finishing process and of making pipe location adjustments after a slab has hardened.
The present invention, in certain embodiments, provides a pipe system for a concrete slab, the system including a bowl with an inner annular space defined between an inner surface of a circular outer wall, an outer surface of an inner wall, and a bottom wall that interconnects and spaces apart the inner wall and the outer wall. The inner surface of the inner wall defines a circular opening through the bowl that is sized to snugly receive a pipe end or a coupling on a pipe end, e.g. a pipe that will extend below the slab to be formed.
In one aspect the pipe projects upwardly to such an extent and the bowl is sized and configured so that in position on the pipe end prior to the pouring of concrete for the slab, the top edge of the bowl""s outer wall does not prospect upwardly higher than the planned eventual top flat surface of the slab. A cap which fits snugly around the bowl""s outer wall covers the bowl and prevents concrete and debris from entering the bowl. The bowl""s top edge may be positioned at any desired level, either below the level of the top of the slab or at the same level. The cap on the bowl, whatever the level of the bowl""s top edge, may coincide with the top level of the slab.
In one aspect the cap""s cover is made of material (e.g. but not limited to plastic, paper, cardboard, or fiberglass) which is easily punctured and/or removed from the cap so that a pipe or pipe extension can be introduced into and secured within the bowl""s circular opening. In one aspect the bowl""s inner wall and outer wall are co-incident. In one embodiment, as discussed above, the inner wall and the outer wall are spaced-apart. In one aspect of such an embodiment the inner wall is shorter than the outer wall so that, to the extent that the two walls are spaced apart, a pipe section with a bend in it may have one end emplaced in the bowl""s opening and, prior to securement therein, the pipe section is rotatable so that the projecting portion and end are selectively positionable. Such an adjustment feature is very beneficial in those instances in which the bowl opening is partially blocked. Once the pipe section is placed in or rotated to a desired position, it is fixed in place (e.g. with welding or glue).
In one aspect, following removal of the top of the cap after a slab has set therearound, a toilet flange""s lower end is emplaced in the bowl. Alternatively, a pipe extension is attached to the pipe from below the slab on which the bowl is mounted and the toilet flange""s lower end is introduced into the bowl and disposed around a top end of the pipe extension.
A system as described above can also be used for connection the drain of a tub.
What follows are some of, but not all, the objects of this invention. Other objects and purposes will be readily apparent to one of skill in this art who has the benefit of this invention""s teachings and disclosures.
It is, therefore, an object of at least certain preferred embodiments of the present invention to provide:
New, useful, unique, efficient, nonobvious slab/plumbing systems;
Such systems and methods in which adequate and effective concrete treatment adjacent an opening for a pipe can be accomplished; and
Such systems and methods which permit adjustment of pipe positioning following setting of a slab, in one aspect without the need to forcibly remove concrete.
Certain embodiments of this invention are not limited to any particular individual feature disclosed here, but include combinations of them distinguished from the prior art in their structures and functions. Features of the invention have been broadly described so that the detailed descriptions that follow may be better understood, and in order that the contributions of this invention to the arts may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional aspects of the invention described below and which may be included in the subject matter of the claims to this invention. Those skilled in the art who have the benefit of this invention, its teachings, and suggestions will appreciate that the conceptions of this disclosure may be used as a creative basis for designing other structures, methods and systems for carrying out and practicing the present invention. The claims of this invention are to be read to include any legally equivalent devices or methods which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
The present invention recognizes and addresses the previously-mentioned problems and long-felt needs and provides a solution to those problems and a satisfactory meeting of those needs in its various possible embodiments and equivalents thereof. To one skilled in this art who has the benefits of this invention""s realizations, teachings, disclosures, and suggestions, other purposes and advantages will be appreciated from the following description of preferred embodiments, given for the purpose of disclosure, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The detail in these descriptions is not intended to thwart this patent""s object to claim this invention no matter how others may later disguise it by variations in form or additions of further improvements.